


Twice a Loser

by sameuspegasus



Series: Loser [2]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Gen, POV Flash Thompson, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-05-08
Packaged: 2020-02-28 08:52:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18753064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sameuspegasus/pseuds/sameuspegasus
Summary: A top-secret new chemical engineering company is recruiting interns, and two people from Midtown have been offered the chance to interview for it. Flash Thompson is desperate to prove himself by beating Peter Parker for the role, because seriously, Peter having superpowers AND knowing Tony Stark AND getting a chemical engineering internship would just be unfair. But is the company everything it seems?The long awaited follow-up to Once a Loser, Always a Loser. It would probably help to read that first. Deviates from canon after Spider-Man: Homecoming.





	Twice a Loser

**Author's Note:**

> It might help to read Once a Loser, Always a Loser first, but they are separate stories.

Flash may not have superpowers, but at least he has a real internship. Well, an interview for a real internship. It’s at a new chemical engineering Start-up Company called Yugdab Chemicals, and everything is very hush-hush. They’ve sent a car to the school to collect him and take him to the high-security facility for his interview. Only one other student from Midtown was selected and they’re already late. Flash is getting this for sure. He looks over his notes again, tugging his jacket away from his back. The label claims it’s pure breathable cotton, but there’s sweat dripping down Flash’s back, so it can’t be.

“Sorry, sorry, I know I’m late but…” Flash hears him before he sees him and groans to himself, because _of course_ it’s Peter Parker. It’s always Peter. Peter’s panting and dropping things as he babbles something about missing the bus. There’s a smudge of something that looks like charcoal on his neck and a faint whiff of smoke about him.

“Take your time, Parker, you’ve already got the Stark internship, you don’t need another one… oh, wait, no you don’t, that was a lie.” Flash does his best to smirk at Parker, even though Peter’s making him late as well. Deep down, he knows that even if the Stark internship isn’t real, Tony Stark has pull at MIT and is willing to storm an armed compound for Peter. Peter doesn’t need an internship. There are places that will take Flash on his father’s name, but not like the places that will take Peter, and not without a large donation. 

“It’s a real internship!” Peter insists, “I’ve been working there all summer!” He glances at the driver, who’s holding the car door open impatiently and tapping his foot. Flash pushes in front of Peter to get in first.

“Sure it is, Penis,” Flash snorts, “You’ve totally been helping Tony Stark with his inventions. We both know there’s only one reason Iron Man cares about you.” He hums a few bars of the music people have taken to putting over their Spider-Man vids on You-Tube, then stops, realising he’s just admitted to watching Spider-Man clips online. When you don’t think about who’s in the suit, Spider-Man is just really cool, okay?

Peter goes quiet and doesn’t reply. Flash feels a tiny pang of guilt, but it quickly disappears. Why should he feel bad that Tony Stark only cares about Peter for his superpowers? They’re not even related. Flash’s Mom only cares about Flash’s achievements, but it’s not like he sits around crying about it.

“Why do you need this internship if you’ve got such a great one at Stark?” Flash continues, as the driver starts the engine. There’s a dull thud as the doors lock automatically. A tint spreads across the windows, blocking the view of the city.

“What’s going on?” Peter asks the driver, a faint tinge of nervous tension in his voice.

“You didn’t even read your letter, did you?” Flash says scornfully, “It’s a _top secret_ facility, Penis. They can’t show us how to get there. Why did you even bother showing up?”

Peter’s looking out the darkened window as they drive off, almost like he can see through it and is taking note of where they’re going. But that’s ridiculous, because Peter told Flash himself that he doesn’t have X-Ray vision. Peaceful classical music begins to play.

“Stark Industries doesn’t do chemical engineering,” Peter finally answers. “I mean, Mr. Stark does a bit, and Dr Banner when he’s available, but it’s mostly mechanical and electrical engineering. Mr. Stark thinks I should… consider my options.”

Flash rolls his eyes. “Just give it up, Parker. He’s just trying to get rid of you because you’re so annoying, but he doesn’t want to lose your ‘assets’”. It’s a weak comeback, really. Tony Stark had stormed an evil lair for Peter, and Flash had seen the fondness on his face when he looked at Peter. Peter seems to feel it, though. He’s got that look on his face, the one that makes teachers forgive him lost homework and unexcused absences and stealing from the chemistry department to make web goo under his bench. The lost little orphan boy look that he puts on to remind people to feel sorry for him. Flash doesn’t let himself feel bad. It’s not his fault Perfect Peter is so desperate for Tony Stark’s approval.

Flash busies himself re-reading his notes. He’s been preparing for this interview for days, and he’s ready. He’s not letting Penis Parker come swooping in at the last minute to upstage him. Not this time. This is not going to be like Academic decathlon, or the tech fair, or all those times in class where the teacher goes to Peter after Flash gets the answer wrong. Flash is good at chemistry. He’s researched the company, although there’s very little information to be found on it, what with is being both brand new and top secret. He’s even outlined a great project. He’s got this. Peter Parker is still staring out the darkened window. He probably didn’t even read the information packet. What’s he even looking at? The windows are almost completely opaque. Flash can’t see a thing out of his.

For a few moments, all that can be heard is the music coming through the speakers and the almost indiscernible hum of the engine beneath it. Flash closes his eyes and practices his answers for the top five most asked questions in internship interviews. He’s halfway through his speech about how good he is at teamwork when Peter’s voice interrupts him. “Hey Flash?” Peter asks, “Do you think this is a bit weird? Like with the secret compound and the locked doors and the letters and stuff? And that it’s just us? No teachers or anything? And that we didn’t apply for it?”

Flash huffs in annoyance. “What, you think no-one would offer me an internship? My summer research project was featured in Chemical Innovations magazine. They probably picked me from that. I bet they went through students who’ve won science fairs and awards. I bet they heard about your fake Stark internship and that’s why they chose you.”

“It’s a real internship!” Peter protests, “But’s got nothing to do with Chemistry.”

“Well then they checked school records for who won the science prizes or something,” Flash says impatiently. Somehow, unbelievably, Penis had managed to come top of the class in both chemistry and physics last year, despite his extracurricular activities and the fact that he never seemed to pay attention in class. Flash had only come third in the Chemistry ranking, but he’d made up for it with his summer project.

“You don’t think it’s weird then? That we’re locked in a car on the way to a secret compound again? Like maybe it could be to do with the thing that happened last year? You know, with the freeze ray?”

“Not everything’s about you, Penis,” Flash groans. “Now shut up so I can prepare for my interview. Not that I need to even bother, since you clearly didn’t do any preparation.” Not that Peter seems to do any preparation for anything else.

 Flash re-reads his notes over and over. The car ride is extremely long and he’s starting to get a twinge of doubt about what he told Peter by the time they’ve been on the road for three and a half hours. That could just be hunger, of course. He’d been too nervous to eat breakfast. Or carsickness. The windows are blacked out and he’s been reading.

 Finally, the car slows down and stops. Flash is reaching for the door handle when he feels the whole car start to drop slowly and smoothly downwards. Flash hates to admit that Peter might be right, but, well, secret car elevators and underground facilities do kind of seem a bit suspicious.

Peter’s fiddling with something under the cuffs of his plaid shirt. “Stay behind me,” he instructs, inching forward on his seat. The car moves smoothly down, soft classical music still playing from the speakers. Peter keeps his gaze fixed outside the window.

“Why do you keep looking out the window? It’s blacked out,” Flash asks, wiping his palms on his trousers. They must be fifty floors below the ground, minimum.

“Of course I can’t see anything out the window, Flash,” Peter says loudly and artificially, “Why would I be able to see anything out the window? I have the same eyesight as you.”

Flash stares at him for a moment and then realises they have stopped moving. It was so smooth he hadn’t even noticed. The classical music has stopped and the windows are slowly clearing. Flash can see the bulky shape of a man outside his door.

“Here,” Peter slides something into his hand. “Don’t press the button unless it’s an emergency. Like if I’m incapacitated or something.”

Flash looks down. It’s a black rubber bracelet with a lump in one side and a small black button on the side of the lump. It looks a bit like one of those fitness tracker things everyone was so into a couple of years ago, only uglier. “What is it?”

“Shhh!” Peter hisses, putting his finger to his lips. “Only use it if it’s necessary.”

The locks flick open. Flash can feel his heart thumping as the bulky man reaches for the door handle. The bulky man is stern and unsmiling, in a jet black suit and earpiece. Flash is pretty sure he can see the outline of a gun in his jacket. He slides the button thing into his pocket. He can’t wear it, it doesn’t go with his Rolex.

“Please step out of the car,” The man orders.

Flash does as he’s told, stepping out into a brightly lit white room, clutching his internship notes tightly. Peter follows in a stream of chatter. “Hi, I’m Peter, what’s your name? Man, that was a long car trip, this place must be super-secret! I bet you’ve got some really cool stuff here! Hey, can we look around after the interview? I’ve never been to a chemical engineering facility before, I can’t wait you see your equipment. What do you guys actually do, anyway? Nobody would tell us anything!”

Flash glares at him. What’s he doing? He wasn’t this talkative in the car. He hardly talked to Flash at all. Which, now that he thinks about it, it a bit strange. Usually Parker never shuts up. He looks around. The car is in the centre of a completely white room, unfurnished except for a highly polished reception desk along one wall, with a large sign above it reading “Welcome to YUGDAB CHEMICALS”.

A short, plump elderly woman with grey curls comes out from behind the desk, smiling at them. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Peter and…” She glances down at the tablet in her arm, “Eugene, from Midtown School of Science and Technology. Welcome to Yugdab Chemicals. Please follow me.”

A hidden door slides silently open. It’s really cool. Flash hadn’t been able to see it at all before it opened. “Please take a seat and help yourself to some refreshments while you wait for the interview process to begin. We hope you join our team.”

The waiting room is large, but somehow still cozy. Flash takes a slice of cake and a cup of coffee from the refreshments table and sits in one of the armchairs to revise some more for his interview.

“I told you they wanted me for an internship,” He tells Peter, “You were just trying to put me off, weren’t you. Well, it’s not going to work, Penis. There’s no way you’re getting this.”

But Peter is still chattering away to himself about the room they’re in. “Oh, wow, there are security cameras and everything!” He exclaims cheerfully, pointing up into the corner of the room. “But I only saw the one security guard and the driver and the receptionist lady. Oh man, we must be fifty floors down! And there was the car in the elevator and everything, and the super-secret door. We must be way out of the city by now, there’s no way they built this without people noticing…”

“Who’re you talking to, Penis?” Flash asks, “No-one cares, shut up so I can concentrate.”

But Parker’s too busy running his fingers along the walls and talking to himself to pay any attention to Flash.

XXX


End file.
